The Mask of Oracle
Sometimes, repeated retcons make what should be a fairly simple story a lot more complicated than it needs to be. Part of this will be one of those times.
In 1967, a few different factors came together to create a comic character who would become one of the better known of DC Comic’s female characters. The Batman television show, noting that Catwoman was so popular, wanted another female on the show. DC staffers Carmine Infanto and Gardner Fox had been idly trying a few character concepts, the producer saw them, and thought they were just what he needed. Quite close together, Batgirl appeared in the third season of the tv show, and her comic book incarnation debuted in “The Million Dollar Debut of Batgirl!”, in Detective Comics 359. Detective was the same title that had seen the earlier debuts of what would become legendary players on Gotham City, such as Batman, Robin, and the Joker. Just to be confusing, there had previously been a Bat-Girl (Bette Kane) but she and her mentor, Batwoman (Kate Kane) had been looked on as “hapless females always needing to be rescued by Batman.” With the first appearance of this new Batgirl, DC announced that Bat-Girl and Batwoman were “gone for good.” This wasn’t true, and currently Bette Kane is Flamebird, while a wholly new version of Batwoman premiered a few years ago in the series 52. The new Batgirl was very popular in both comics and tv- she came very close to getting her own show, and a lot of fans very much enjoyed seeing Yvonne Craig in her purple Bat-suit.
Now, for the in character history. Get ready to be confused.
Originally, Barbara Gordon was the daughter of James Gordon, Gotham’s Police Commissioner and one of Batman’s closest allies. After the Crisis on Infinite Earths, she was retconned to be the child of Roger and Thelma Gordon, now niece to James. But wait- years later, Barbara finds a letter strongly implying that James had an affair with his sister in law, Thelma, and that Barbara is James’ biological daughter. Either way, she was adopted by James, and considers him her father for all intents and purposes. All this, and we’re not even to her costumed career yet.
Barbara Gordon grew up in Gotham, whatever her parentage, and was in and out of police headquarters all the time, visiting her father/uncle/adoptive father (from now on, just her father, I never did see the point of that retcon). Barbara was somewhat in awe of her father’s shadowy ally, the Batman. In addition to her school studies, Barbara
Batgirl!
began training in martial arts and gymnastics. When Barbara was a teen, she went to a costume party, putting together a female version of Batman’s costume for herself to surprise and tease her father. On her way to the party, she happened upon the criminal Killer Moth, who was trying to kidnap Bruce Wayne. Barbara leapt into the fight, beat Moth, and then fled. She discovered she enjoyed the rush of excitement, and decided to continue on as “Batgirl” as the beaten criminal dubbed her. In a later retcon, it was stated that the Batman like costume was merely a joke on her father, and that Barbara’s true idol was the original Black Canary. Batgirl later broke into the Justice Society’s headquarters to try and get in touch with her hero.
Batgirl became an ally of Batman’s, earning his grudging acceptance. At first, she couldn’t stand his young partner, Robin, but over time Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson came to have a long standing love affair, their attraction lasting long past their original costumed identities. The two have had many ups and downs, and at last report were sort of “engaged to be engaged,” at least until the next writer decides they don’t like the idea. Barbara also was seeing a private detective named Jason Bard for a time. Bard has been variously a Viet Nam vet or a former GCPD officer. Either way, he has a permanently wounded knee, causing him to walk with a cane. Not that Barbara should be defined by her love interests, she has been a librarian, Congresswoman (possibly retconned out), and a computer consultant. Her career as Batgirl went on for quite some time, making her somewhat well known as a crime fighter, working often with various Gotham based heroes and even becoming an honorary member of the Justice League of America. It has never been wholly made clear whether her father knew of her activities as Batgirl, but as intelligent as he is, he likely did.
After a long career as Batgirl, Barbara had a particularly harrowing run in with an assassin called the Cormorant, and barely survived the encounter. Shaken, she followed a course she had considered for a while, and retired her costume. Shortly after this, tragedy struck, reshaping her life further. While visiting with her father, Barbara was shot, crippled, stripped, and likely (but not definitively) sexually assaulted by the Joker, in an attempt to drive her father mad. In the aftermath of this attack, Barbara lost the use of her legs. Determined to still make a difference, she put her library and computer science training, along with her photographic memory, to use. She created a new identity for herself, and worked for a time with the Suicide Squad under the false name Amy Beddoes, a back up identity for her new career as Oracle. With the Squad, she made a lot of money, but was again nearly killed when the sociopathic Thinker II, Cliff Carmichael, tracked her down and attacked her.
After this, Barbara changed her course slightly. She found Richard Dragon, one of the world’s greatest teachers and martial artists. He taught her escrima, Philippine stick fighting, and adapted a style of it for use in her wheelchair. Barbara became a behind the scenes support character for all manner of heroes, most often Batman and his inner circle. Initially, Barbara attempted a partnership with Power Girl, but their first mission ended badly, with a significant loss of life that Power Girl blamed Oracle for. Power Girl said she wouldn’t work with Barbara again. As Oracle, Barbara helped a variety of heroes, and noticed the slump that the second Black Canary had fallen into after the death of her long time lover, Green Arrow. Oracle contacted the Canary, and after a time, Dinah became Barbara’s closest direct
Babs as Oracle, checking in on Canary and Lady Blackhawk
agent, and eventually a great friend. The two formed the basis for the group eventually known as the Birds of Prey. Oracle worked out of her Clock Tower Headquarters in Gotham City, aiding the Bats, Black Canary, and gradually other heroines as well. Oracle became such a respected member of the hero community, she was offered, and accepted, full Justice League membership. After the events collectively known as “War Games,” Barbara had to destroy her Clock Tower to save the lives of herself and Batman both. Her Birds of Prey team, now regularly using Huntress, Lady Blackhawk, and a teen aged heroine called Misfit, left Gotham. For a time they were headquartered in Metropolis, but a mission went badly, costing some civilian lives, and Superman asked them to leave his city.
The Birds moved to Platinum Flats, California, and did battle with the mostly hidden Silicon Syndicate there. After defeating that group, and once again losing a headquarters, Barbara dissolved the team and returned to Gotham. She set up shop in the Batcave, unused in the wake of Bruce Wayne’s disappearance, and initially very reluctantly, began mentoring Stephanie Brown when the young hero took on the mantle of the newest Batgirl. Soon after that, Oracle reformed the Birds of Prey, reuniting with Black Canary, Huntress, and Lady Blackhawk, this time adding Hawk and Dove to the mix.